New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingorch’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea  Impatiens  plant named ‘Ingorch’ characterised by its large light purple flowers, early flowering, bright green foliage, ball shaped growth habit with excellent basal branching and good outdoor vigor.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Impatiens hawkeri.

Varietal denomination: ‘Ingorch’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri and referred to by the cultivar name ‘Ingorch.’

The new cultivar was developed in a controlled breeding program conducted by the inventor in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The new New Guinea Impatiens cultivar has an early flowering response, large flowers with attractive coloration and a good flowering behavior under field conditions.

The new cultivar is propagated from cuttings resulting from the cross in September 1999 of the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as ‘F 47-1’ as female parent and the proprietary New Guinea Impatiens selection identified as ‘F 47-3’ as male parent. ‘F 47-1’ is not commercially available and has not been patented. ‘F 47-3’ is not commercially available and has not been patented.

As a result of this cross the present cultivar was selected in September 2000 in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been repeatedly asexually reproduced by cuttings in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, in Gilroy, Calif., and in Angers, France over a period of several years. The distinctive characteristics of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction. It takes 8 to 10 weeks to produce a finished plant, starting from a rooted plug and planted in a 12 cm pot, depending on the temperature.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Ingorch.’ These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Ingorch’ as a new and distinct New Guinea Impatiens cultivar:

-   -   1. Large light purple flowers     -   2. Ball shaped growth habit with flowers on top of the foliage     -   3. Bright green foliage     -   4. Excellent basal branching character     -   5. Good outdoor vigor

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have large light purple flowers and bright green foliage, whereas the plants of the female parent have light purple flowers and green foliage.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differ primarily from the plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristic:

Plants of the New Guinea Impatiens have large light purple flowers and bright green foliage, whereas the plants of the male parent have purple flowers and dark foliage.

Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens can be compared to plants of ‘Fisupnics Lav,’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,224. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Enkhuizen, Netherlands, plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens differed from plants of the cultivar ‘Fisupnics Lav’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have bright green         leaves, whereas the plants of the cultivar ‘Fisupnics Lav’ have         dark green leaves.     -   2. Plants of the new New Guinea Impatiens have green flower         buds, whereas plants of the cultivar ‘Fisupnics Lav’ have light         red purple flower buds.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

This new New Guinea Impatiens plant is illustrated by the accompanying photographic drawing which shows blooms, buds and foliage of the plant in full color, the color showing being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of this new New Guinea Impatiens. The data which defines these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions carried out in Enkhuizen, Netherlands. The plant history was taken on 30 week old plants, blossomed under natural light in the field.

Color readings were taken in the laboratory under ambient light. Color references are primarily to The R.H.S. Color Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London.

-   The plant: Classification — Botantical: Impatiens hawkeri. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection             identified as code number ‘F 47-1,’ not patented.         -   Male parent.—Proprietary Impatiens hawkeri selection             identified as Code number ‘F 47-3,’ not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting—Terminal cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 7-14 days.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—Approximately 21 days.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous, and white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   General appearance.—Outwardly spreading, low rounded and             uniform mounded plant growth. -   Habit:     -   -   Growth and branching habit.—Freely branching habit, freely             flowering, vigorous. -   Crop time:     -   -   Plant height.—22 cm.         -   Plant spread.—44 cm. -   Lateral branch description:     -   -   Length.—15-19 cm.         -   Diameter.—3-5 mm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Internode length.—2-7 cm.         -   Color.—RHS 144B. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite or in whorls.         -   Length, mature leaves.—4.2-4.7 cm.         -   Width, mature leaves.—1.5-1.8 cm.         -   Shape.—Lanceolate.         -   Apex.—Acuminate.         -   Base.—Acute.         -   Margin.—Serrulate with fine cilation.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color young foliage, upper surface.—RHS 146A.         -   Color young foliage, lower surface.—RHS 146B.         -   Fully expanded foliage, upper surface.—RHS 147A.         -   Fully expanded foliage, lower surface.—RHS 147C.         -   Venation, upper surface.—RHS 147A.         -   Venation, lower surface.—RHS 141A.         -   Petiole length.—About 0.3-0.5 cm.         -   Petiole diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color.—RHS 145C. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type and flowering habit.—Single.         -   Number of flowers per leaf axil.—1 or 2.         -   Number of flowers and flower buds per lateral branch.—4.         -   Flower position.—Above and beyond the foliage and typically             facing upwards and outward.         -   Flower shape.—Rounded, mostly flat.         -   Flowers lasting.—About 10 days on the plant depending on             environmental conditions.         -   Petals.—Self cleaning.         -   Gynoecium.—Persistent.         -   Flowers.—Not fragrant.         -   Flowering.—Indeterminate and continuous.         -   Flowering season.—Year round under greenhouse conditions. In             the garden, flowering from spring until fall.         -   Flower length.—About 4.5-5.2 cm.         -   Flower width.—About 4.3-5 cm.         -   Flower depth.—About 0.2 cm. -   Flower buds:     -   -   Bud length.—About 1.3 cm.         -   Bud diameter.—About 1.2 cm.         -   Bud shape.—Ellipsoidal.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Color, just before opening.—RHS 65D. -   Petals:     -   -   Quantity.—Single, five per flower, imbricate.         -   Length of banner petal.—About 2 cm.         -   Width of banner petal.—About 3.1-3.5 cm.         -   Length lateral and basal petals.—About 2.4-3 cm.         -   Width lateral and basal petals.—About 2.4-2.9 cm.         -   Lateral and basal petal shape.—Obcordate.         -   Banner petal shape.—Roughly obcordate.         -   Petal apex.—Retuse to emarginate.         -   Petal base.—Attenuate.         -   Petal margin.—Entire.         -   Petal texture.—Smooth, satiny.         -   Petal color.—Upper surface: When opening and fully opened:             RHS 75A and 157B. Lower surface: When opening and fully             opened: RHS 76C and 157B. -   Spur:     -   -   Length.—About 2.7 cm.         -   Texture.—Smooth, glabrous.         -   Aspect.—Curved.         -   Color.—RHS 145C; outer end RHS 145A. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length.—About 2.4-3.4 cm.         -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.         -   Diameter.—1.5-2 mm.         -   Aspect.—About 45° from the stem.         -   Color.—RHS 154C. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Androecium.—Stamen number: Five fused at anthers, filaments             free, hooded.         -   Anther shape.—Obovate.         -   Anther length.—About 5 mm.         -   Anther color.—RHS 155D.         -   Amount of pollen.—Moderate.         -   Pollen color.—RHS 164C. -   Gynoecium:     -   -   Pistil number.—One.         -   Pistil length.—About 4 mm.         -   Stigma shape.—Columnar, five segmented.         -   Stigma color.—Red purple/colorless.         -   Style color.—RHS 151C.         -   Ovary arrangement.—Five celled.         -   Ovary color.—RHS N144C.         -   Seed development.—Seed development has not been observed. -   Disease and pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests     common to Impatiens has not been observed. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Ingorch’, as substantially illustrated and described herein. 